Thursday, May 23, 2013

Searching for the Dress, Part II

When we last left off, I was just finishing my dress hunt at David’s Bridal. I had a clear top contender for my favorite dress, but I wanted to visit at least one other store before making such a big decision.

Ignore the bandage on my wrist - it's a long story!

Unfortunately, the dress shop I visited didn’t really allow for pictures, so I don’t have any shots of me actually in the dresses, but my favorite one was very similar to this:


Still a fit-and-flare, but a bit more glamorous.  I loved how it fit, but somehow all of the Maggie Sottero dresses I tried on felt like they were not quite…..me. Each one would be lovely, but not quite perfect. Add in the fact that they were just at or just above the limits of my budget, and I knew I needed to keep looking. So close, but so far away…

Another of my favorites (source)

So back I went to David’s, this time with my future mother-in-law in tow. I would have LOVED to bring my mom, but with my parents still across the country in Minnesota, it just wasn’t possible to get everyone together. I did my best to keep her in the loop as I was shopping, though!

As we headed to David’s, I had every intention of buying the dress I initially liked. But armed with a bit more inspiration from my dress shopping experience, I wanted to try on a few other dresses.

Unfortunately, this is where we stop on the dress hunt journey. I am not usually that traditional, but I definitely want to keep the dress a surprise!

Yep, really, that's all you're getting!

But I will mention something else: dress regret. When I first bought my dress, I was absolutely over the moon. My FMIL said that I was positively glowing, and I was very excited to tell my parents and bridesmaids all about it. But after a few lukewarm responses, I began to doubt my decision. Comparing the pictures of my previous favorite and the dress I bought, I wasn’t sure anymore. The dress I purchased was poufy – not overly so, but definitely more girly than I usually am. Was it really right for me?

Ultimately, after a few more trips to dress shops, including one to David’s to compare both dresses, I was 100% sure that this dress is right for me. It may be different than I pictured, and it may not be my typical outfit – but this is my wedding day, and this dress makes me feel like a bride. And that’s what counts!

Remembering how happy I was at this moment is what did it!


Did you have to shop around by yourself to find the right dress? Did you experience dress regret?

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